A brother who lost his sister to cancer is doing everything he can to raise awareness of the disease – by telling women about five simple checks that may save their life.

John Wombwell lost his sister Carole to breast cancer when she was just 52.

Carole’s last Facebook post raised awareness of the disease and the five simple checks that women can make to discover it, alongside the caption: "Saw this somewhere else and felt the need to post it, because no-one else really tells you this stuff."

It was this heart wrenching post that made John decide to pass on his sister’s message in her memory, even having the Facebook post made into a fridge magnet.

John Wombwell lost his sister Carole (pictured) to breast cancer when she was just 52 (Image: John Wombwell)

John, who grew up in Fulbourn and Swavesey but now lives in Leicester, told the News: "In 2014 my younger sister, Carole, succumbed to breast cancer. She was born in Fulbourn and was just 52 when she passed away.

“Carole has two children and was such a caring and welcoming person. She would always cut my hair for me, no matter how long or short my hair was.

“In January 2014 we were told Carole was in the clear from cancer, but it came back in the summer and that was it.

“One of the most distressing parts of Carole’s story is that if she had known what to look for she might have been able to recognise the symptoms earlier; she might have found treatment sooner.

“Her outcome might have been completely different…if she had only known. Imagine how I felt when I saw her final Facebook entry, read her words and saw the diagram she had posted.

John Wombwell's sister Carole (middle) with her two sons before she died (Image: John Wombwell)

“It was then I knew I had to do something. I then knew I had to do what I could to tell other women ‘this stuff’.

“Carole cared a lot about raising awareness of breast cancer herself and I want to carry that on in her memory.

'Five simple checks can save your life'

John is raising awareness about the five simple check that women can make that could detect breast cancer.

“I’ve had Carole’s last Facebook post made into fridge magnets, because it’s something that’s always in your kitchen and it may serve as a little reminder to remember to do regular checks," he said.

It was his sister Carole's last Facebook post which spurred John on to carry on his sister’s message in her memory (Image: John Wombwell)

“When having a shower, or even when getting dressed or undressed, a quick check of your breasts could save your life.

“It literally only takes a few minutes.

"If you find something wrong, go to your doctor. It may be nothing, but it could mean everything.”

John, an electronic engineer who served in the RAF for 10 years, recently set up a business exporting teas from Chiang Rai, Northern Thailand.

John Wombwell lost his sister Carole to breast cancer in 2014 (Image: John Wombwell)

The teas - Daokrajai Lanna Fine Teas - have been on sale in Fortnum and Mason for the last three years and online here, with 30 per cent of profits going towards breast cancer charities and Addenbrooke’s Hospital, where Carole was treated.

He said: “I stopped developing my budding tea business, and started to change its direction to help women suffering breast cancer.

“Thirty per cent of the price of any retail sale is the equivalent of the seller earning only the cost of the item, without any profit. This is, in my view, what charity is all about. Giving something back without earning from it."

What do I need to know about breast cancer?

According to Cancer Research UK, around 55,200 people are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year - equating around 150 people a day.

It is more common in women than men. Around 54,800 women are diagnosed each year and around 390 men.

One in eight women in the UK develop breast cancer during their lifetime. 1 in 870 men develop it. Most of the women who get breast cancer have had their menopause, but about 2 out of every 10 (20 per cent) are under 50 years old.